uced "Saul," one of the most dramatic of his sacred works, and the
colossal "Israel in Egypt." In 1741 he began "The Messiah," the most
sublime of all his oratorios and one of the profoundest works of human
genius in music. It still holds its place upon the stage as one of the
grandest expressions of human aspiration and divine truth, and no
Christmas is complete without its performance. Other works followed it,
among them "Samson," "Joseph," "Belshazzar," "Judas Maccabaeus," "Joshua,"
and "Theodora," which Handel considered his best work; but none of them
equalled "The Messiah," in which his genius reached its climax. Of those
last named, only "Samson" and "Judas Maccabaeus" still hold their place in
the modern repertory, though the other oratorios mentioned contain many
of his most effective numbers.

While Handel was writing in England, the oratorio languished in Germany.
Hasse, Porpora, and Fux produced several oratorios, but they have not
left an impression upon the world. Handel died in 1759. It was not until
1798 that a successor appeared worthy to wear his mantle. That successor
was Joseph Haydn, whose greatest work, "The Creation," rivals "The
Messiah" in its popularity. He was in his seventieth year when he
produced it, as well as his delightful work, "The Seasons;" but "Papa"
Haydn, as his countrymen love to call him, preserved the freshness of
youth to the very last. The melodies of his old age are as delicious as
those of his youth. Both these oratorios are exquisite pictures of
nature, as well as of human and divine love. They were inspired by
Handel's oratorios (which he heard for the first time when he visited
London in 1791), and when first performed aroused as great enthusiasm,
though they are not cast in the same heroic mould as are "The Messiah"
and "Israel in Egypt." They are characterized rather by grace, sweetness,
and elegance of form, and by pure, healthy music. Haydn was a master of
instrumentation, as he had shown years before in the string quartet, of
which he was the creator, and in his almost innumerable symphonies,--he
being the originator of the modern symphony. He had had the advantage of
a magnificent orchestra while in service at Prince Esterhazy's, and the
results are seen in the orchestral resources which he employs in his
oratorios. During this period several Italian oratorios by Salieri,
Zingarelli, and Cimarosa appeared, as well as oratorios in the same style
by the German composer